Into the woods (of memory)
by TragedicMerlin
Summary: Reincarnation fic! Arthur recalls his final battle and the loss of his friends, and what to do now he is back in the world. Review please!


_**Hey my lads and lasses! I know I should be working on the pain of love and fill my goblet and I will, I promise! But I heard this song and I could fit it perfectly with Merlin! Its a reincarnation fic, with Arthur standing where the final battle was and remembering all that had happened. There will be a sprinkle of lyrics in this fic. Enjoy! The song is quite good, and if you want to listen to it, the link is: watch?v=X7JBwFpl1LE I like to listen to it while reading.**_

_**~TragedicMerlin**_

_'I went into the woods today, to see what I could find...'_

Arthur stood in the wood that was once the battlefield of his final battle. As he remembered it, it was a vast expanse of land, and it had been dotted with rocks, and the Darkling woods had been nearby. Camelot had been the backdrop to this battle, the majestic presence of his citadel rising amid the blood stained fields. Arthur felt a lump rise in his throat as he recalled what had happened there the day before the battle.

_'I saw an owl and he told me that he was wise...'_

_The news had been confirmed, the traitor Mordred and his Saxon army were marching from the east, and they would reach the citadel early tomorrow morning. Arthur himself was not worried, but feared for the lives of his friends. Gaius, Merlin, Leon, Percival, Gwaine and Guinevere. All had promised to stay with him, and though he did not speak aloud, he was glad of their loyalty, company and friendship._

_Soon after, news spread, Lancelot had returned! He entered the throne room and presented himself to the king;_

"_Sire, if you are willing to have me, I would gladly fight beside you again."_

"_And how do I know this isn't a ruse to get Guinevere again?"_

"_Because sire, despite what we did, we both regret it, and I swear, on the name of Avalon, that I only wish to help you."_

_Arthur did not have to think for long, he knew that Merlin would laugh at him if he had to have a long think about it. "Very well, Sir Lancelot. You may rejoin the round table." _

_Cheers erupted from the knights and Merlin. Despite them never speaking of Lancelot to Arthur, they had all missed him and hoped he would return. With that behind him, he spoke to his knights, and asked them to gather the armies, which had travelled from all across the five kingdoms in order to reach Camelot in time._

Arthur let a tear slide down his cheek as he recalled the speech he gave before they so valiantly went to battle, knowing many would not return.

"_Knights! Soldiers! Friends. Today we face the greatest foe Albion has ever known. One of our own, Sir Mordred, has betrayed us, and now leads a large Saxon army to destroy us. I swear, on the holy gates of Avalon, that we shall rid the land of this menace! I cannot lie, some of us will die, but we will die knowing we helped save Albion!"_

More tears made their way down Arthur's cheeks. In the end, the speech had made no difference. With so many dead by the end, even though Guinevere had attempted to hold everything together, they had been powerless to stop later Saxon attacks. Slowly but surely, the five kingdoms lost their lands and Gwen died, an old woman who tried so hard to save the legacy of King Arthur, that was when the age of Albion, which had long ago entered its Twilight years, was extinguished.

_'I went into the woods today, to see what I could find..."_

Arthur reached the place, the place where so many had died. He noticed the stones that marked where each of his friends had died. This was Merlin's handiwork, Arthur realised. He could tell, by the way the stones gracefully spiralled to a point, and he noticed the slight way in which the moss was arranged to give the impression that it was a small growth on the forest floor. And Merlin had even scraped names into the stone, most likely with magic. Arthur saw the name on the nearest mound. _Leon_.

_The battlefield was full of shrieking and the clanging of metal on metal. Arthur was fighting furiously. They would NOT take Camelot, they couldn't. His sword, Excalibur, glittered crimson with Saxon blood. As he fought, he saw Merlin blast several Saxons backwards, with blood gushing from severe, magical, wounds. Merlin gave Arthur a wink before turning back, already engaged with more Saxons. As Arthur fought off yet another Saxon, he heard Leon shout. Turning to the source of the noise he saw Leon, sword discarded, staring glassy eyed as his murderer withdrew his sword from Leon's body._

Watching Leon's body kicked aside like trash had hurt Arthur. He had leaped to the murderer and swiftly beheaded him, feeling a slight sense of justice. Despite this, and to Arthur's shock, Lancelot had been next. He walked over to another stone mound, this one with _Lancelot_ carved on it

_Arthur flew from Saxon to Saxon, furiously battling and slaying those who had killed Leon. In his anger, he failed to notice Merlin take an arrow to the shoulder. But he did notice Merlin dragging a wounded Lancelot. Rushing over he shouted "What happened?!"_

"_Lancelot.. h..he struck by a mace, it punctured through his lungs."_

"_M..merlin, Arthur... I'm sorry.. I failed"_

_Arthur struggled to deal with the fact that he was watching Lancelot choke to death on his own blood._

"_No, you didn't, you did good my friend"_

_Merlin nodded at Lancelot, showing he agreed. Lancelot choked again, and as the life faded from his eyes he uttered his final words "T-thank you, Arthur, Merlin..."_

Arthur had only then noticed Merlin's wound. Merlin said he was fine, and soon flew back into the heat of battle, his eyes had been glowing gold.

_'I saw a fox and he told me to run away and hide...'_

Arthur approached two mounds next to each _Gwaine _and _Percival_

_Arthur quickly followed after Merlin, intent on winning this fight. For his friends. He soon came upon Gwaine and Percival fighting back-to-back. Pride swelled in his chest at the sight of his fearless knights. But his pride was short-lived. He heard the whistle of an arrow and braced himself for death, but it didn't come. Instead he watched as Percival collapsed with an arrow straight through his heart. _

_And despite his best efforts, Gwaine was soon the victim of a vicious impalement. That was when he heard Merlin's heart-wrenching cry. Merlin sent shards of what Arthur thought was pure magic flying through the Saxons, leaving gaping holes. Rushing over to Gwaine's side, Merlin cried._

"_Gwaine, Gwaine! Please don't leave me. I love you!"_

_Gwaine had chuckled a little "I'm so sorry Merlin, love... I love you too. Don't ever forget that... or me"_

"_I won't" promised Merlin as Gwaine let out a sigh and closed his eyes, his head falling backwards." _

"_Merlin, get back to the castle!" Arthur cried._

"_No Arthur, I will not run and hide." Said Merlin coldly._

_Merlin stood up, and Arthur was truly scared. Gone was the happy, cheerful, optimistic Merlin. And in his place stood an enraged Merlin, with eyes glowing a dangerous molten gold. He flew off, his magic killing all Saxons in his way._

That had been the one time Arthur had truly been scared of a friend. Looking up, he noticed there was nothing left of Camelot, it had been covered by soil and grass, and was now encased in a large hill. Arthur noticed a large mound of stones, that read; _To all that lost their lives to Mordred. _Moving on, he came to the last two small mounds which read; _Arthur_ and _Merlin_.

_'I went into the woods today to see what I could find. I saw a deer and she told me that she was free'_

_Merlin was going to die, Arthur realised that even as he lay dying._

"_Merlin, I'm so sorry"_

"_Please Arthur, don't be."_

_Mordred was dead, Arthur had struck him a fatal blow as Mordred had struck both himself and Merlin. Arthur couldn't believe that the end of almost all he held dear was here._

"_Unlike you Arthur, I will die, but I will be resurrected, it is my destiny to wait until you and the others are reborn, when Albion needs you most."_

_Arthur had said nothing, but listened to Merlin as he carried on._

"_Please let them all know I will miss them and wait until they return."_

_Arthur nodded, "I will, I promise." _

"_You will be free for a time Arthur, enjoy it."_

_Arthur nodded, his eyes brimming with tears._

"_Merlin?"_

_He got no response and so he looked up, Merlin had died. He was knelt down, eyes shut, still holding Arthur who lay there. And eventually, the darkness claimed Arthur too._

Arthur had seen everything from Avalon. He had watched as Merlin had been rejected and sent back to life. He watched as Gaius, who had always helped him, die of old age and a broken spirit.

Hunith joined him soon after, and even Gwen eventually died. And all that was left was Merlin. He watched as Albion split into two countries; 'England' and 'Wales'. He watched as everything they did became legend. And eventually the time came for them to return.

'_She said stay awhile don't be afraid'_

After spending a long time in reflection in the woods, Arthur emerged, feeling ready to face the world and put it right, as Merlin had said all those years ago. He went over to his friends, who, except for Arthur himself, had new 'modern' names.

He looked at each of them in turn. Glad to have them all back.

Merlin was now called Matthew. Courageous and loyal.

Gwaine was George. Strong and confident.

Percival was Peter. Tall and quiet.

Lancelot was Lucas. Proud and smart.

Leon was Luke. Loyal and unfaltering.

Gwen was Georgia. Kind and honest.

Gaius was Gregory. A constant calming presence

Hunith was Holly. Nurturing and full of love.

He was so proud of them. Turning to them, Arthur asked;

"Ready?"

Matthew, formally Merlin, grinned and simply said "Always"

And they set off, ready to face whatever to bring the world peace.

_'I went into the wood today, to see what I could find.'_

_**So what did you think? Review please. Also, I'd like to know if you want me to do a sequel of this, following them through the modern world. Hope you enjoyed lads and lasses.**_

_**~TragedicMerlin **_


End file.
